Darkness Dawns
by Evil Cheshire Cat
Summary: The Eugenics War was old history, it had been jumbled around and washed away to give the world a villain that was cut and dry. But no one knows how the war was. No one but Khan knows of a super human called John Harrison or how he worked with a group known as a The Company. No one knew how the two fell in love or how much Khan was willing to sacrifice for him and their people.


The world was sick, that was what Khan had decided ages ago when he first got a taste for life and the world around him. The people who looked so much like him and his kind but were so weak in body and mind. They had created him to be better and all that had caused him was to see how much the world _needed_ him. They needed his guidance, his strength, his intelligence. Thankfully Khan was also patient, knew how to bide his time. He had had to start small, had to build up because if he tried too soon, too strong, he would be labeled as a mad man. He would be dismissed.

So he had started small, he had gathered loyalty in those he knew and they were trying to convince their friends. It was such a small start that it hadn't occurred to him that others might know of him, that they might see him as a threat. Perhaps that was why he found himself waking to a splitting headache and bound to a chair.

For a long moment, he couldn't quite believe it. His brain scrambled to make sense of the fact that someone had snuck up on him, someone had driven him unconscious. It wasn't possible. How many fights had he been in before? Enough that he knew injuries came differently to and that most humans would be utterly clueless, treating him as if he were one of them. They didn't realize what would fell a normal human left only a minor sting for him. What had _happened?_

He lifted his head slowly, carefully measuring how much it hurt. His head wasn't swimming, but there was a dull ache near the lower back of his skull. Nothing to indicate someone had gone increasingly harsh. His face screwed up in disdain when he saw that he had been taken to a basement. A bloody pathetic basement with a cement floor, bare pipes, naked light bulbs. There was even a wash and dryer, this was someone's _home_. The demand of what had happened hissed through his mind, trying to override the pain of damaged pride.

Flexing his arms against the cuffs, he realized the bonds were good. The cuffs around his legs, pinning them to the legs of the heavy metal chair were of the same material. He could break free, but it would take time, it would take maneuvering. Someone had knocked him unconscious and knew how to bind him. It eased his pride a bit, but there were still wounds there because it happened.

A clatter made him jerk his head up. In an effort to figure out the how and the why, he had completely forgotten the who. He swiveled his head, face falling into an automatic glare when he caught sight of a young man. Young, still so baby faced with freckles and wide eyes. Not a threat by any means, so how...Khan glared harder by the _child_ showed no fear.

Still he ran to the bottom of the stairs – the only exit other than a small window set far above the floor. How unsafe. "He's awake!" his captor called up the stairs with no hint of a tremble. "Oi! Everyone, he's awake!"

Above the floor boards creaked and groaned as movement started. That confirmed that this was someone's house; old, no doubt, not built for very much privacy. Maybe a bit small as well when he combined the size of the basement with how quickly the door of the basement was opened. People descended; three of them. The one that appeared first was older than his other captor, blond and looked as fierce as a lion. The one behind him had a face made for softness but had been molded with serious looks and harsh frown, much like a puppy was trained into being a guard dog.

The third Khan didn't actually see until they hit the floor and the lion and the guard puppy flanked him. He was older than the other three, smooth and neat while they looked a bit scruffy. And when he smiled, when he flashed those oh so white teeth, Khan knew a shark had come to land. "Finally," the shark had a jovial tone. "We've been waiting, Mr. Singh."

Khan straightens in his bonds. "You know who I am."

"Bit daft to take someone we don't know." Guard puppy snorted, which turned into a grunt when the lion elbowed him.

The shark just laughed lightly. "This isn't just a matter of us having a kink for taking people, don't worry."

But it was worrisome; they had taken him with a purpose. "It seems a bit rude. You know who I am, but I have no clue as to who you are." Khan quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh, of course. Sorry, where are my manners? John Harrison, at your service." The shark spread his hands, bowing forward even as he slipped a cell phone from his pocket. "Lads?"

The lion didn't look overly pleased, especially not when John lifted the phone and snapped a picture of Khan. "Quinn Tate."

The guard puppy's eyes shifted between John and Khan. "Sonnie Tate."

His original captor shifted into his scarf. "Noel Joseph."

"A pleasure," Khan purred out sarcastically. "Perhaps now you might tell me why I'm here? I can assure you, if you're looking for a ransom, you'll be left wanting. Do you want something made for you? Something that you need to convince me of?" He wasn't worth a king's ransom, he hadn't established himself fully as someone who was important, and there were intelligent augments everywhere these days.

John laughed, he seemed to do that a lot. "It's nothing personal, don't worry." He tossed Quinn the phone, moving to Khan's side. He had to crouch down some to put his face level with Khan's as Quinn held up the phone. "Smile, Mr. Singh, we're proving a point." There was a sharp click. "Send it to Raphael, would you?"

Khan leaned himself away while John straightened. "You will tell me what is going on right now," Khan put as much as a command into his voice as he could muster.

"It ain't a forever thing," Noel put in, "Just a week and then you can go. Right, John? Just a week."

John accepted the phone back from Quinn, thumb tracing the edge of it. "If not sooner," he agreed brightly.

Khan's eyes narrowed. "That's the worst kidnapping plan I've ever heard. What's the purpose? What's the gain?"

"You're a big fish, Mr. Singh, in a fast growing pond. People are talking about you. What a threat, what a hope. It's something that gets noticed."

"And you think I'll believe you'll just let me go if I'm such a threat?" Khan laughed.

Strangely, John went serious. "Yes, our orders were for you to be out of the way. We wouldn't remove one of our own unless we had to."

"One of our..." Khan let out an awed breath. "Superior humans." How had he missed it? How had he not put it together. Knowing how to bind him, knowing how to make sure he didn't come back up again, managing to surprise him. Khan let his eyes trail over them. "Who do you answer to? Why? Tell me," again he put sharp command in his voice.

John's phone was beeping, answering Khan for them and demanding for attention. It only took a brief glance before John was grinning like the shark he was. "Well, lads, time to release the dogs of war, eh?" he had a bounce in his step as he headed for the stairs.

"But what about Mr. Singh?" Noel called out.

"He'll be fine. We're coming back and I doubt he'll want to leave our...company just yet." John sent Khan a smile that said he knew, he _knew _that Khan was curious. "Come on now, everyone move." the group took to the stairs and Khan felt grateful that they at least left the lights on.

* * *

And that's chapter one. This is actually one of three story ideas revolving around Star Trek Into Darkness that I've been playing with since I've seen the movie twice, rewatched the original episode with Khan and the Wrath of Khan and all that jazz. The only reason this one is going up first is because it's the one that got the most focus before I go into work and have actually written something in.

Also, I won't lie. I wanted to do this because of the "thing" where new Khan is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, so I'd like to have a Martin Freeman running around for hijinks. This version of John Harrison is totally based loosely on Hector Dixon from Wild target, for what little we saw of him. And I have totally decided my own personal headcanon cast for Khan's seventy two crew members.


End file.
